Weee!: Larry Liu

Weee!: Larry Liu

If you told 19-year-old Larry Liu that his hobby re-selling used electronics “for fun” would someday help him build a multi-billion-dollar company, he probably would have laughed. He was an electrical engineering student in Shanghai at the time. His goals were to land a corporate job and go to grad school in the U.S. He did both, starting with a job at Intel. But his passion for e-commerce stayed with him through his MBA and other corporate jobs. And when he moved to Northern California, Larry noticed other Chinese immigrants using WeChat to source what they needed locally - even organizing in groups to buy familiar foods and products. Larry immediately saw this as a business opportunity. And in under ten years, after facing down bankruptcy and re-orienting his business, Larry grew his e-commerce platform Weee! into a company now valued at over $4 billion.

This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by Andrea Bruce with research help from Katherine Sypher.

Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Josh Newell.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(804)

Away: Jen Rubio

Away: Jen Rubio

In early 2015, Jen Rubio was racing through an airport to catch a flight when her suitcase broke, leaving a trail of clothing behind her. She tried to replace it with a stylish, durable, affordable su...

18 Mar 20191h 7min

Logic: Logic & Chris Zarou

Logic: Logic & Chris Zarou

In 2010, Logic the rapper, born as Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, released his first official mixtape titled "Young, Broke & Infamous." At 20 years old, Logic certainly was young and broke, and while cras...

11 Mar 20191h 11min

Squarespace: Anthony Casalena

Squarespace: Anthony Casalena

Like many classic technology stories, Squarespace started in a college dorm room. In 2003, 21-year-old Anthony Casalena created a website-building tool for himself. But after hearing some positive fee...

4 Mar 201953min

Eileen Fisher: Eileen Fisher (2017)

Eileen Fisher: Eileen Fisher (2017)

In 1983, Eileen Fisher signed up for a fashion trade show with no experience, no garments, no patterns or sketches – nothing but a few ideas for a women's clothing line focused on simplicity. Within t...

25 Feb 201945min

Burt's Bees: Roxanne Quimby

Burt's Bees: Roxanne Quimby

In the 1970s, Roxanne Quimby was trying to live a simpler life – one that rejected the pursuit of material comforts. She moved to Maine, built a cabin in the woods, and lived off the grid. By the mid-...

18 Feb 201958min

TOMS: Blake Mycoskie (2019)

TOMS: Blake Mycoskie (2019)

Blake Mycoskie started and sold four businesses before age 30. But only in Argentina did he discover the idea he'd want to pursue long term. After seeing a shoe drive for children, he came up with TOM...

11 Feb 201953min

JetBlue Airways: David Neeleman

JetBlue Airways: David Neeleman

In the mid-90s, David Neeleman wanted to launch a new airline. He had already co-created a regional airline out of Salt Lake City that was acquired by Southwest. And despite his admiration of Southwes...

4 Feb 20191h 8min

Canva: Melanie Perkins

Canva: Melanie Perkins

When she was just 19 years old, Melanie Perkins dreamt of transforming the graphic design and publishing industries. But she started small, launching a site to make yearbook design simpler and more co...

28 Jan 201947min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

dine-penger-pengeradet
stopp-verden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
finansredaksjonen
pengesnakk
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
utbytte
pengepodden-2
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-markedspuls-2
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
lederpodden
okonomiamatorene
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
flypodden
shifter